Realms of Eden: B4 - First Battle

Sydney heard the alarm bells and tried to move his head to see what was happening but found that he suddenly didn't have the energy to do so. He blacked out and so was spared the curses of the medical team that rushed through the door to see his body convulsing as the blood began to pour from his eyes, mouth and ears as well.

Xavier Masterton was awoken by the shrill ringing of the emergency alarm call on her intercom and jumped from the bed as Jo, who had been cuddling her, reacted the same way. She hit the intercom answer button and was only mildly distracted as Nurse Cassie Boland's eyes widened at hers and Jo's nakedness. Curtly she asked, "How bad?"

"He's gone into shock with massive blood loss. They are taking him to OR 7 now," the nurse replied once again coolly efficient.

"Tell them not to touch him until I get there, understand? No procedures, nothing till I get there!" The nurse looked ready to baulk and Xavier screamed, "They will kill him if they try to give him blood, now fucking move!"

The nurse cut the connection and Xavier caught the skirt and shirt Jo threw at her, rapidly dressed and jumped into her leather boots. Both were out the door and down the hallway in 30 seconds.

Alfred was giggling hysterically in his cyber world as he reviewed the results of his searches and found that he did have a correlation to the infection currently within Sydney and the cure was extremely simple. He found his connection to Xavier and dialled.

Jo screamed, "No!" as she entered the room marked OR 7 and found Sydney hooked to an intravenous bag of blood clearly marked O+. Her shoulder charge into the startled doctor as he flicked the switch to start the capillary pump drove him sideways into the wall cursing her fucking interference.

Xavier flicked the pump off and turned to Cassie Boland staring at her in furious amazement. The silver haired doctor flattened the woman with a single punch to her jaw that rocked the woman off her feet. The nurse landed screaming, clutching her jaw in agony, on her broad arse on the floor. Xavier and Jo took up defensive positions either side of Sydney and awaited any further attempts to kill their warrior.

Xavier was incandescent and spat in the direction of the still blithering nurse. "I fucking told you to tell them no procedures and especially no blood transfusions! Who the fuck do you think you are you stupid fucking cow? Get out of here now before I end your miserable fucking life!"

The nurse crawled her way to the doors where she was promptly kicked in the head by the boot of a security man as he burst through the door with his pistol out. The woman sagged into unconsciousness. Jo turned to the doctor who was holding his beeper aloft as he said, "I don't know who the fuck you people are but that is my patient and I will do as I see fit!"

Xavier spun on her left heel; her long right leg flashed out and struck the security man at his wrist breaking it in the process but more importantly sending the gun across the room.

Jo meanwhile had slammed her booted right foot into the doctor's groin and then doubled fist punched the man across the head knocking him out as he bent over clutching his damaged balls. She raced to the door and slid the lock. Pointing to the corner of the room she told the security man to sit down and shut up.

She turned back to Xavier, "Is he OK?"

The woman waved her hand at her and began checking Sydney over. "Oh my goodness look at this!" she cried. Jo almost had difficulty keeping the contents of her stomach as she saw the wound on Sydney's back had opened right up and she could see some of his titanium ribs.

"No not that," said Xavier, "No blood! There should be blood everywhere with the wounds opened that far but there's none!"

Xavier's cell phone rang and she absent-mindedly pulled it from her pocket and answered, "Xavier."

"Have you found him yet?" asked Alfred.

"Yes he is secured but I am not sure how long we are going to have before the police get here and take us away. We had to do a bit of, shall we say, damage control in order to get our point across."

"Oh dear," said Alfred, "Not good news. Where is the Go-go mobile?"

"It's on the roof why? And who told you it is the Go-go mobile, oh never mind we can't get up there from here anyway!" Xavier replied sounding very frustrated.

"OK see if you can hold on for a little bit of time and whatever you do don't give Sydney any blood! It will ruin my cure."

"I already know that doctor why do you think we are in trouble." She thought quickly. "Look see if you can get a hold of Dean Watson he runs this place and get him down here, we are in OR 7." She hung up and turned to Jo who was just finishing up splinting the security man's wrist.

Xavier gave the man a rueful smile and said, "Sorry about that but guns make me nervous."

Thelma and Jennifer stood on the top deck urging the boat to go faster in the early evening dusk. They had not heard anything from Xavier or Jo since the early morning and it was making them nervous. "Oh this is ridiculous!" cried Jennifer.

"Need a drink?" said Thelma as Jennifer was about to utter her most used phrase.

The women laughed and headed towards the bar where Greg Collins was tending the slightly quieter than normal crowd. He watched Thelma and Jennifer walking towards him rustling up a Scotch and cola and a wine mixer putting them on the bar as they got there.

"Hey Thelma," said Greg as she took a sip and sighed in pleasure at the cool drink.

"Yes Greg," she replied taking a stool at the bar as Jennifer popped herself up on one as well.

"Do you remember that computer genius you and Sydney sent to me to help get the underground city set up?"

Thelma stiffened and cautiously said, "Penny Rogers, yes what about her?"

"Well she rang me this morning and when I told her that I was on a cruise she said it could wait and hung up. I hope nothing has gone wrong down there, I told her I would be back in a couple of days."

"Do you have the number she rang you on?" she asked holding down her excitement just in case.

"Yes I do," he said and retrieving his cell showed her the number from this morning.

Thelma snatched his phone and leant over the bar, grabbed his head and kissed him soundly on the lips. "Oh Greg I love you! Sydney has been trying to get through to her for the last six weeks!"

Jennifer looked strangely at Thelma who said to her look, "She's the one your father told him he left behind!"

She placed the phone on the bar, pressed the call back button at the same time as opening her top baring her perky breasts and waited for the call to be answered. The picture showed the back of a woman working on what appeared to be several computer consoles and a voice said, "Penny Rogers," without looking up from whatever she was doing.

Thelma huskily whispered towards the phone, "Remember these?"

Jennifer watched in great amusement as the girl turned her pretty face to the phone and squealed, "You do have lovely tits Thelma!"

Dean Harold Watson grumped in displeasure as he stomped down the hallway towards OR 7 with four military uniforms, armed and alert, escorting him. Fucking bad enough that I have to miss dinner but to be told what to fucking do by a green faced man on the phone and have these yahoos turn up and escort me to my own fucking hospital his thoughts were getting more heated the further he had to walk.

There was a sizeable crowd of nurses, doctors and security personnel standing outside the locked door to the room which greatly soured his present bad temper. "All of you lot piss off!" he roared and a little of his humour was restored as the group scattered in all directions.

With a curt nod at the captain of the unit he pointed to the door and said, "Get them out of here!"

Dean Watson watched the captain rap on the door and saw a female face he didn't recognise appear at the window. She obviously knew the man because the door flew open and she was in his arms kissing him soundly. "Richo what a lovely surprise!" she squealed and then added, "All this way just to see me?"

The guard captain gave her a small smile and said, "Cue Ball's orders Jo. I take it we are to assist in the evacuation of you," and he consulted his electronic pad, "a male patient and a Doctor Xavier Masterton?"

"Masterton!" boomed the Dean and he was taken aback when the woman herself appeared at the door. He had to look twice at her she was tanned and looked extremely fit and he suddenly thought to himself, As hot as hell!

"You were supposed to be gone for two days! Two fucking days is not six fucking weeks!" he thundered at her.

Xavier had the nerve to appear a little shamefaced and said, "Sorry Sir things sort of got out of hand and everything. Won't happen again, Sir."

"I'm bloody sure it won't! You're fired! Now get your crap out of here now!" he screamed at her, turned abruptly on his heels and stormed off.

"Dean, Dean Watson she hit me I want to sue the fucking -," screamed the voice of Cassie Boland that was suddenly cut off at the sight of a special ops military uniformed officer pointing his laser rifle directly at her head.

She fainted and the young corporal laughed. He turned around to survey the rest of the room and motioned the security guard to hop it which the man did with great relief running down the corridor as fast as he could manage.

Looking to the wired up man on the operating table he said, "Fucking hell Captain! Recognise this bloke?"

Captain Richardson walked over to the table and looked into the face of his supreme commanding officer. "Bloody hell Jo what is going on! He rang me not an hour ago and told me to get my arse over here to help you out. How the hell can he be in two places at once?!"

"Richo you would never believe me. Let's just get this show on the road before anyone else comes along and I have to kick them in the balls as well!" said Jo. Hastily she began removing the last of the straps tying Sydney to the bed.

Captain Richardson looked at Xavier and said, "What do you need Ma'am?"

Xavier smiled at him and said, "An escort back up the corridor to get the stretcher we brought him in on and then a hand to get him upstairs to the transport."

Richardson nodded to the two men stationed at the door and said, "Donno, Jonesy please escort Dr Masterton to get her stuff and make sure no-one gets in her way."

The two men grinned and Xavier gave her rump a little wriggle as she took the lead with the two men behind her. She heard Jo call, "No playing Xa we got to get out of here!"

Xavier waved and was gone.

Stopping in at the room where she and Jo had spent some time sleeping Xavier dragged some clothes and bags together before giving the room a quick once over. Satisfied that she had got everything she was moving again to the next floor up.

A doctor tried to block her as she came out of the lift. His angry face as he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her aside almost caused Xavier to scream. The two uniformed men hurriedly broke his hold and he found himself slammed up against a wall. "Anything else you want, doctor!" Xavier yelled at him as she rubbed her arm where the man had painfully gripped her. The man was unable to say anything with the rifle that was pressed firmly against his throat and the fiercely angry look of the private that held it there.

His eyes glinted maniacally as he shook his head. Xavier was puzzled by his actions but shook it off as she beckoned the two men to follow her as she scurried down to the isolation ward. The door was locked and the nurse inside ignored her when she buzzed to be admitted.

"If you don't mind Ma'am," said the fresh faced private and he raised his laser rifle and blew out the control panel.

The other private, a tall well-muscled man in his early thirties with the name tag Donnelly just above his pocket pushed the door open and said, "You do nice work Jonesy!"

The nurse screamed as the men entered with Xavier behind them. She looked at the nurse, "Oh do fucking shut up Cheryl!" She pointed at the purple and blue stretcher that stood beside the only bed in the room.

Cheryl screamed out, "You can't take that, that's Dr Clarence's personal property!"

Xavier spun grabbing the woman by the throat and in a deadly whisper asked, "Is that the dickhead that is down in OR 7?"

She released her grip enough for the woman to gasp out, "Yes."

"Well when that fuckwit wakes up you tell him that if I ever cross paths with him again he will have more than sore balls and a broken jaw, got it!" She gave the woman a little shake and dropped her on the floor.

"Remind me Donno not to get her pissed off!" said Jonesy in an amused whisper.

Xavier turned hot eyes on the both of them and gave them a cheeky grin before she set off back the way they had come. The doctor that had accosted her lay on the floor where he had slid after Donno had released him. The tall silver haired doctor barely gave the man a glance as they raced past. If she had looked a little harder she would have seen the lifeless eyes as the man stared unseeing at the woman he had been paid to assassinate.

Captain Richardson looked at the man on the table closely and said softly, "How are you matey? Looks like someone banged you up bad again! When are you going to keep out of trouble?" He turned to check the doorway for the dozenth time.

"Sorry Keith can't seem to help it," a voice rasped behind him. Keith Richardson spun in shock to see the dark-blue eyes of Sydney Douglas staring at him in wry amusement.

Jo was just as stunned and she gently urged the man not to move as she finished taping several sheets of gauze over the open wounds on his shoulder that seemed to have progressed to half way down his back.

"Keith what are you and your boys doing for a couple of weeks?" asked the man in a small whisper that Richardson had to bend down to hear.

"Well according to C- , ah, command I am supposed to be guarding you and your girls while you recover on some fucking big boat that is supposed to be turning up tomorrow," he replied.

Jo giggled and Richardson looked sharply at her. Jo pouted at him and asked, "Are any of your boys married, engaged or otherwise attached?"

The question seemed so out of left field that Keith was at a loss for words for a moment before he said, "Well I'm not and the instructions were to bring only unattached men so that's what I brought with me."

"Oh goody," sighed Jo and didn't offer anything further.

Sydney whispered to him again, he bent close to hear. "Bloody women!" and then the man apparently passed out.

Thelma pulled her top back up amused by the little unhappy pout the blonde gave her. "Penny how fast can you get to the airport?" she asked.

The girl looked at her and was just about to say she had no idea when she noticed the beautiful brown haired woman standing next to Thelma. The woman, introduced herself as Jennifer, and gave her a brilliantly white toothed smile that Penny couldn't help but respond with one of her own. Jennifer repeated Thelma's question. Something about the way she asked pulled her up short and she realised that this was no game.

"About ten minutes if I just go now. But why?"

"Good," said Thelma. "Just grab your bag, make sure you have your ID and get there. A military hover jet will be waiting when you arrive!"

"But Thelma I have so much to do here," the girl protested.

Jennifer cut her off. "Remember the last time you saw Sydney and Thelma?" she asked coolly as Thelma flipped out her own phone and began dialling.

The girl nodded and her eyes opened wide with fear. "This is 100 times worse, now move it!" Jennifer cut the connection and passed the phone back to Greg.

The man sighed. "We really are going to be in for it, aren't we?" he asked of no-one in particularly. "She's nice though hope she likes vodka because no-one else seems too!"

Jennifer collapsed back on to her stool in fits of laughter.

Penny arrived at the airport, programmed her hover to return home and stepped out of the vehicle. She watched it for a moment as it lifted off and began to make its way out of the airport zones. She turned to find a blue and gold uniform standing beside her. "Penny Rogers?" asked the middle aged brunette corporal who seemed to have a great deal of difficulty keeping the buttons of her shirt closed across her massive chest.

"Yes."

"Corporal Wainwright," she introduced herself. "This way please miss," and pointed the way to a large green and grey hover jet that sat with its motors idling just inside a gate marked 'Restricted: Military Personnel Only' across the sign that covered most of the top half of it.

The corporal hurried her across the tarmac and up the stairs where a hand reached out clasping hers to help her through the doorway. The corporal behind her seemed to stumble and another set of hands grabbed her before she fell.

Something seemed to ping against the side of the craft and then a burning sensation raked across her rump as the hands urgently pulled her inside. She heard a voice screaming, "Get the fuck out of here, now!"

Suddenly the big bird took off with another couple of pings sounding against the door as it closed. She looked up into the unsmiling face of a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties and she noticed how lovely her eyes were despite their cold demeanour. She looked sideways, screamed then fainted when she saw that Corporal Wainwright was missing half her head.

"Damn it all!" screamed Thelma in frustration as she watched the news cast that Alfred played for her in her cabin only.

She replayed the flash again seeing if she missed anything. "This is a news flash from Townsville," the commentator began, "An unidentified woman's body has been found amidst the wreckage of a house in Preston Lane on the outskirts of Townsville. It appears that the house has been destroyed by an explosive device. The house was occupied by computer programmer, Penny Rogers, whose whereabouts have not been confirmed. The body inside the building is believed to be that of the woman but police have not yet confirmed those details. Miss Rogers does not have any living relatives and police will wait until DNA evidence has been processed before making a statement.

"It is believed that the house was destroyed at approximately 6:15 pm this evening. In other news --" Thelma killed the vid cast and sat with her head in her hands.

"Too fucking late!" she cried out aloud and for the first time in a very long time the cool, calm and normally controlled woman threw herself down on her bed and bawled her eyes out.

That was how Kelsey and Jennifer found her when they came looking for her after being alerted by Alfred that something has gone awfully wrong. Kel lifted her friend up into her arms and held the sobbing woman as Jennifer passed her one of Sydney's handkerchiefs that she always seemed to be carrying with her.

"What happened, Thelma?" Kelsey asked as the woman's sobs appeared to abate and she sniffled quietly against Kel's breasts.

"I fucked up!" she stated and then added, "He is going to kill me!" Her sobs started anew as Kel looked at Jennifer who shrugged helplessly.

Alfred spoke up from the vid screen, "I think this might be the reason." He faded as the newscast replayed.

Jennifer was shocked and Kelsey saw it in her daughter's eyes as they overflowed with tears and she reached out a hand towards her baby. "Will someone please tell me what is going on?" she asked quietly.

Jennifer turned to her mother and softly said, "Penny Rogers is the one Daddy told Syddy he had left behind and that she was in great danger. Syddy's been trying to contact her for the last six weeks. Thelma and I got her at last this evening and told her to hightail it to the airport so that we could get her over here. It seems that she may have decided to go home on her way and the house was booby trapped. Now she's dead!" Jennifer cuddled into Thelma and began crying in earnest with the older woman.